National Association of Mothers' Centers

On December 1, 2008 Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi who wrote “Know Your Power” and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, author of “Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated” were interviewed by journalist Lynn Scherr. The event was held at Hunter College and co-sponsored by the National Council for Research on Women and was a discussion on where women have come from, where women are today and the work we have yet to do for women to reach their true place of power in our society and in government.

The first “Year of the Women” was 1972, a year when women were said to be the ones who would sway the vote possibly resulting in more women holding political office. By having women in political office, we are making a statement that “women CAN do anything.” From her experience, Nancy Pelosi likened the glass ceiling to more of a marble ceiling that has taken sheer strength and perseverance to crack through. Nancy Pelosi sees her victory of becoming the first woman Speaker of the House – the third most powerful position in the country – as not a personal victory, but a victory for all women. Nancy has five children of her own and, when she was sworn in, she was surrounded by children. While she experienced resistance, she will not allow family issues to get swept under the carpet and having the children around her that important day was a clear and powerful statement to that effect.

Having Nancy Pelosi in office – a woman bringing the perspective of women around the country – has meant that we have a champion for the American family. She has spoken up for women’s positions in the political realm and helped others to recognize that there was talent right there all along. Both Nancy and Carolyn openly talk about their experiences as mothers and grandmothers in the office – something that had been avoided in the past. By including the family in the conversations, they feel they are more likely to be able to gain support for and address issues affecting women and children.

Many people are still unaware of the extent to which women are still discriminated against. A woman still earns only $.78 to a man’s dollar for equal work and responsibility. Since mothers are typically the second wage earners, they are taxed more highly then their husbands. The United States is one of only five countries in the industrialized world that do not offer paid family leave to promote work/life balance. This is just a sample of the issues we still need to address as a country. Carolyn emphasized that the perception of how far we have come as women is very different from the reality. She emphasized that we simply cannot afford to bypass using the talents of 50% of our population if we are to stay competitive globally. She quoted Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “It is up to the women.”

The women’s books were written for the purpose of sharing their stories and empowering women to tap into their talents and strengths and take action. Nancy advised, “Know your power and use it. Value what you do, not least of all raising a family – one of the most challenging things anyone can do.”

Carolyn shared, “Don’t wait to be asked what you think. Take responsibility for your thoughts and ideas and share them.” In these challenging times, we need the ideas and involvement of a diverse group of people that includes women to come up with solutions that will help strengthen this country and provide support for the people who call it home.

Eleanor Roosevelt also said. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”